Railway truck anti-rock side bearing device

ABSTRACT

An anti-rock railway truck incorporating a truck bolster providing recessed support for upstanding elastomerily biased snubbers which in turn support a bridge. A rocking railway car engages the bridge which engages the snubbers up to a point beyond which the bridge engages the bolster.

United States Patent 1 Dwyer 1 1 Oct. 2, 1973 1 RAILWAY TRUCK ANTI-ROCK SIDE BEARING DEVICE [75] Inventor: Howard Irving Dwyer, Glen Ellyn,

Ill.

[73] Assignee: AMS'IED Industries Incorporated,

' Chicago, 111.

[22] Filed: Jan. 31, I972 211, Appl. No.2 222,132

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 203,969, Dec. 2,

[52] U.S. C1 105/199 CB, 308/138 [51] Int. Cl B61f 5/14, 1361f 5/16, F16c 17/04 [58] Field of Search 105/197 DB, 199 CB; 308/137, 138

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,227,140 12/1940 'Kjolseth 105/199CB Wilson et a1 105/199 CB 3,680,490 8/1972 2,688,938 9/1954 Kowalik 105/197 DB 2,301,372 11/1942 Cottrcll 308/138 Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant ExaminerHoward Beltran Attorney-Walter L. Schlcgel, Jr. .et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT An anti-rock railway truck incorporating a truck bolster providing recessed support for upstanding elastomerily biased snubbers which in turn support a bridge. A rocking railway car engages the bridge which engages the snubbers up to a point beyondwhich the bridge engages the bolster.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures I I Pmminw'w 3.762.339

SHEET 2 BF 2 RAILWAY TRUCK ANTI-ROCK SIDE BEARING DEVICE This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 203,969, Filed Dec. 2, 1971.

This invention relates generally to railway trucks and more particularly to anti-rock railway trucks incorporating improved snubber support.

Railway trucks support their associated railway cars in such a manner that the cars are not rigidly held thereon, but rather may rock from side to side. Under certain conditions a violent build-up of rocking motion, commonly referred to as resonant rock, can lead to structural damage or even derailment. The amount of rocking must be limited to three degrees from center, i

or six degrees peak-to-peak, in order to comply with standards established by the American Association of Railroads. Trucks should have anti-rock properties which will restrain excessive car rocking without affecting other riding characteristics of the car and without permitting resonant build-up of the forces incident to such rocking.

It is an object of this invention to provide an antirock truck which restricts the rocking of an associated car to established standards without affecting other riding characteristics of the car.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an anti-rock truck employing friction means for damping oscillation resulting from rocking of an associated car, thereby preventing resonant build-up of the forces incident to such rocking.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of an anti-rock truck incorporating an improved bolster.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of an anti-rock truck incorporating existing snubber units which are reliable, inexpensive and have a long service life.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon perusal of the description herein in combination with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a railway car embodying the invention, showing the car body in normal level position; I

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a railway car embodying the invention; showing the car body in extreme rock when proceeding around a banked curve;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective showing the anti-rock truck with the improved bolster in position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, partially cut away, showing the details of the bolster and snubbing unit; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the bolster and snubbing unit shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically a railway car embodying the invention. The car body 1 comprises a body bolster 2 with an annular center bearing 3 seated in complementary center bearing socket 4 of a truck bolster 5. Truck bolster 5 is supported at its ends by springs 6, which in turn are supported by a wheel and axle assembly 7 comprising spaced wheels 8 and 9.

It will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that truck side frames are not shown. One of these will hereinafter be described, although not in detail, because such a side frame is conventionally journaled on a pair of axles and supports springs 6 which in turn support truck bolster FIG. 2 shows the car body 1 in a position of extreme rock as may occur for example when the car proceeds around a banked curve at a speed less than that for which the banking is designed. This may aggravate conditions that cause the car body 1 to rock from side to side, sometimes at a resonant frequency which may cause severe damage to the various components.

Anti-rock devices, to be hereinafter described, are mounted'adjacent each end of and carried by bolster 5 of an associated truck. Bolster 5 is spring-supported by coil springs '6 carried by side frames, one of which is shown at 10 (FIG. 3) and in turn is carried by wheels 8 and 9 The railway car body is usually supported by spaced center bearings 3 upon mating center bearing sockets 4 on a pair of bolsters 5, each bolster being spring supported in the usual manner at its ends by spaced side frames 10 of one truck, so that the car body is supported by two trucks. During normal operation, when the railway car is rolling along a straight section of track, the longitudinal axis of each bolster 5 is perpen dicular to the longitudinal axis of the car. The car is supported byeach bolster 5 so as to be able to rock relative thereto and to swivel relative thereto on a substantially vertical axis.

Bolster 5 includes an upper surface and spaced side walls 12. On either side of center bearing socket 4, bolster 5 defines a pair of recessed supporting wells 13. These wells 13 straddle and are spaced from the longitudinal axis of bolster 5 and, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, are oriented in pairs spaced from and parallel to the longitudinal axis of an associated railway car when rolling along a straight section of track.

Each well 13 is formed with supporting surface 14 below the upper surface 11 of bolster 5 and with upstanding sidewalls 15. Each well 13 isloriented directly above its associated side wall 12 of bolster 5, which acts as a load-bearing wall for supporting the snubbing mechanism 16.

The snubbing mechanism, or spring unit, generally referred to as 16, is known to those skilled in the railway arts as the ASF Simplex Unit Snubber, manufactured by American Steel Foundries and described at page 1191 of the Car Builders Cyclopedia, published in 1940 by Simmons-Boardman, New York. As is clearly shown in FIG. 4, the entire snubbing mechanism 16 includes an upstanding rubber spring 17, a pair of side wedges 18 and a pair of follower wedges l9. Briefly, an axial load applied to follower wedges l9 compresses rubber'spring 17 along its own longitudinal axis. Sloping surfaceson the inside of follower wedges 19 engage side wedges 18, forcing them to move inwardly. This action compresses rubber springs 17 transversely. Friction between the wedges serves to dissipate energy during compression and extension of rubber spring 17. This results in damping oscillation of the spring and the rocking car body.

A bridge casting 20 is oriented perpendicular'to the longitudinal axis of bolster 5. Bridge casting 20 has a central portion 21 on which is mounted or otherwise attached a wear pad 22. Wear pad 22 is so located as to be engageable by the wear pad of an associated railway car. Bridge casting 20 also has end portions 23 extending outwardly and above wells 13 of bolster 5.

It is anticipated that each end portion 23 cooperates with a well 13 to form a pocket into which an ASP Simplex Unit Snubber, or portions thereof, is placed to provide the snubbing action. It will be seen that supporting surface 14 serves as a support or seat for the snubbing mechanism 16. A follower wedge 19 rests upon surface 14. Spring 17 is carried by follower wedge 19, and upon it rests another follower wedge 19, interposed between spring 17 and end portion 23 of bridge casting 20. Within follower wedges 19 side wedges 18 are movable laterally in response to the application and relief of compressive forces to rubber spring 17. Frictional engagement of side wedge 18 with follower wedges 19 serves to dampen oscillation within the system.

The anti-rock devices each include a pair of snubbing mechanisms 16 and a bridge casting 20 supported in wells 13 of bolster adjacent wheels 8 and 9. Assuming normal operation of a railroad, it may be expected that the railway car will rock, and that its wear pad will directly engage wear pad 22 of bridge casting 20. Bridge casting is forced downwardly and acts through follower wedge 19 to compress spring 17. Compression of spring 17 causes a build up of energy therein. Compression of spring 17 forces lateral sideways movement of side wedges 18 into frictional engagement with follower wedges 19 sufficiently to dissipate enough energy to dampen oscillation within the system. Enough energy is dissipated to prevent amplification of forces at resonance.

As overload protection and to insure that rocking is limited to the established standard of the American Association of Railroads, bolster 5 is provided with a bearing face 24 and bridge casting 20 is provided with a bearing face 25. Bearing faces 24 and 25 are oriented so that rocking of an associated car will cause bridge casting 20 to move downward to a point where bearing face 25 engages bearing face 24, thereby limiting the force exerted on rubber spring 17 and transmitting excessive force directly to the bolster. In practice, it has been found that a space approximately one-half inch between bearing faces 24 and 25 serves this purpose. It should be understood that excessive forces are transitory and momentary and do not result in resonant oscillation of the system.

Bridge casting 20 is provided with spaced projections 26 engageable with bearing face 24 of bolster 5 so as to limit relative movement transverse to the longitudinal axis of bolster 5.

It should be understood that follower wedges 19 may be formed as an integral part of bolster 5 or bridge casting 20 or both.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown, it is anticipated that variations thereon fall within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims.

I clalm:

1. In a railway truck for use with a railway car body, said truck having movably supported spaced side frames and a bolster resiliently supported at its ends by said side frames; the improvement wherein said bolster defines an upper wall, spaced side walls, and a pair of spaced supporting surfaces adjacent each end thereof, each supporting surface being directly above a bolster side wall and below said upper wall thereof, a snubbing unit carried on each supporting surface and extending above said upper wall, bridge means supported by said snubbing units, said bridge ineans being adapted to contact said railway car body.

2. A railway truck bolster; said bolster comprising upper and lower walls, spaced side walls, and a pair of vertically upwardly unobstructed spaced supporting surfaces adjacent each end thereof, each supporting surface being within and directly supported by an associated side wall below said upper wall. 

1. In a railway truck for use with a railway car body, said truck having movably supported spaced side frames and a bolster resiliently supported at its ends by said side frames; the improvement wherein said bolster defines an upper wall, spaced side walls, and a pair of spaced supporting surfaces adjacent each end thereof, each supporting surface being directly above a bolster side wall and below said upper wall thereof, a snubbing unit carried on each supporting surface and extending above said upper wall, bridge means supported by said snubbing units, said bridge means being adapted to contact said railway car body.
 2. A railway truck bolster; said bolster comprising upper and lower walls, spaced side walls, and a pair of vertically upwardly unobstructed spaced supporting surfaces adjacent each end thereof, each supporting surface being within and directly supported by an associated side wall below said upper wall. 